


Terms of Endearment

by flowerfan



Category: Glee
Genre: Future Fic, M/M, klaine fluff, relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-01
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-26 15:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3855547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flowerfan/pseuds/flowerfan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A future!Klaine fic where Blaine tries a little self-improvement.  Inspired by a phrase in kbvibes’ and becausehiships’ awesome <a href="http://archiveofourown.org/works/3463064/chapters/7599416">Hedwig ‘verse.</a></p>
            </blockquote>





	Terms of Endearment

A few days ago Blaine and Kurt had celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary. The evening itself had been perfect, dinner at a cozy Italian place they both loved, and a peaceful night at home with no deadlines or interruptions. But the atmosphere the next morning hadn’t been as idyllic. Somehow they were running late, both trying to use the bathroom and get dressed at the same time, Kurt griping about Blaine leaving little hairs in the sink when he shaved, Blaine unable to find the right bow tie to match his jacket and cringing when Kurt gave him that look that said “too much” when he held up a light green one with orange and navy polkadots. He had thought it was cheerful.

Almost out of time, Blaine had decided to skip the bowtie altogether, and was busy searching for his other shoe when Kurt made some comment about Blaine’s outfit looking unfinished.

“Maybe if you’d help me find something to wear it wouldn’t be,” Blaine had muttered, not really paying attention to the conversation.

“Maybe if you weren’t such a whiny little dipshit when you wake up I’d be more willing to play dress-up with you every morning,” Kurt retorted.

The comment had stung, but Blaine went on about his day, not dwelling on it very much. They had been bickering like old marrieds since high school, it didn’t mean anything was actually wrong.

But a few days later, in a meeting with his agent, it suddenly dawns on him. Playing the injured party, the pining partner, has become his trademark. He doesn’t know if it is life imitating art, or art imitating life, but he can see why Kurt is getting tired of it. He needs to make a change.

Telling his agent to find him something different is easy. Uma isn’t thrilled about it – she’s making a lot of money off his heart eyes and sad, dejected half smiles – but she reluctantly agrees.

The more difficult task is going to be changing how he behaves with Kurt. Blaine knows he has to go about this carefully. He doesn’t want to just paste on a show face, he really wants to take a look at his behavior and see if he can make some constructive changes. For a week or two he tries to act normally, and take note of any unnecessary whining and complaining. There’s more of it than he cares to admit. 

For all his good intentions, however, Blaine isn’t quite sure what to do. Most of the time, when he feels a complaint coming on, he winds up just keeping his mouth shut. Kurt doesn’t notice at first, since he’s busy with tech week for a show he’s doing costumes for, and writing for their next project in his scant free time. After the show opens and Kurt isn’t as preoccupied, Blaine notices Kurt sending him some curious looks. Blaine hopes that means it’s working.

Things finally come to a head one Monday morning. They both have the day off, which often means they will argue about whether to sleep in or not, whether to go out for brunch somewhere new or somewhere familiar, whether to create an activity for the day or just run some errands. No major disputes, just their regular good natured sniping.

But Blaine is determined not to fill the day with nagging and complaining, no matter how used to it Kurt may have become. He wakes up early, gets showered and dressed so he’ll be out of Kurt’s way, makes coffee, and then plants himself on the couch with a scone and a book he’s been meaning to read. When Kurt emerges from their bedroom, hair mussed and pajama pants low on his hips, Blaine just smiles at him and keeps reading.

“So,” Kurt begins. “Plans. The Ansel Adams exhibit has been getting great reviews. Or we could try that new Thai place and then see a movie.”

Blaine looks up. “Whatever you want is fine with me.”

Kurt gives him an odd look, then heads into the bathroom. It’s over an hour later before he reemerges. “Looks like we’re really too late for lunch. Sorry I took so long.”

“It’s no problem.” Blaine sets his book down. “So, the museum or a movie?”

Kurt tugs uncomfortably at the scarf around his neck and then perches himself on the edge of the couch. “We don’t have advance tickets for the exhibit, so we’ll have to wait in line.”

Kurt knows how impatient Blaine gets waiting in line. It has led to some particularly bad moods on both of their parts in the past. But new and improved Blaine isn’t going to let this bother him. “The weather’s nice today. We can people-watch. I don’t mind.”

Kurt gives him another puzzled look, and they head off to the museum. As predicted, there’s a queue of people stretching down the block, but Blaine just takes out his phone and goes over lines for his next scene. He doesn’t complain once.

After the museum, Kurt says he feels like making dinner, so they stop at a specialty market on the way home. Blaine grimaces at the prices but holds his tongue while Kurt selects an array of unusual cheeses and the ingredients for some kind of complicated seafood dish. Back at the apartment, Kurt gets to work in the kitchen, suggesting that Blaine take a bath and relax before dinner. This strikes Blaine as strange, given that Kurt usually wants to put him to work as his sous chef, but he’s certainly not going to protest. 

By the time Blaine finishes his bath and throws on some jeans and a polo shirt, Kurt has set the table. It looks like he was rushing. The centerpiece isn’t up to his usual creative standard, and the placemats don’t quite match. But Blaine just smiles at him and helps plate the cheese and crackers. 

Kurt serves out the main course, frowning as he spoons shrimp and scallops over couscous. Blaine doesn’t mention that the tails are still on the shrimp, just picks them off as delicately as he can, and tells Kurt that it tastes delicious, which it does. But Kurt is jumpy, and before they finish eating, he excuses himself and leaves the table, saying he’ll be right back.

As the minutes tick by, Blaine begins to worry about Kurt. Maybe the scallops upset his stomach? They’ve bought seafood at that market a dozen times, but you never know.

He finds Kurt in the bedroom, staring out the window, arms wrapped tight around his body. “Kurt? Are you okay?”

Kurt turns towards him, and his face is wrecked, tear streaks marking his cheeks. “Who is it? Just tell me. I can’t take it anymore.”

To say Blaine is confused would be an understatement. “What? Who’s who?”

“There’s someone else, isn’t there? There has to be.”

“No, Kurt, of course not,” Blaine insists. He quickly moves to take Kurt in his arms, but Kurt flinches back.

“Then what is it?” Kurt’s voice is rising in that way that Blaine knows he hates, high and tight. “What’s going on with you?”

“Kurt, relax, there’s nothing-”

“Don’t tell me to relax! You don’t care about anything anymore. You don’t care about me!” Kurt turns and sags down on to the bed, hiding his face in his hands as he begins to sob.

This is when Blaine realizes that his plan has gone spectacularly wrong. “Kurt, no, that’s not true. It couldn’t be further from the truth.” He speaks softly and kneels down on the floor in front of Kurt, placing his hands gently on his knees. “Kurt, sweetheart, look at me.”

After a beat Kurt meets his eyes, and Blaine’s heart aches at the pain he sees there. “I love you. I love you so much.” He holds out his arms, and Kurt slides down into them, letting Blaine pull him close and bury his head in his neck. “There’s no one else,” Blaine murmurs, rubbing Kurt’s shaking shoulders. “There never will be. You’re the love of my life.”

Kurt’s breathing calms, and he shifts off Blaine’s lap, sitting next to him on the floor. He scrubs at his face and takes a deep breath. “If you care about me so much, then why the hell have you been acting so weird?”

Blaine sighs. “Maybe I care a little too much.”

Kurt bites his lip, losing patience. “Spill it, Blaine.”

“This is going to sound ridiculous.” Blaine wonders if he can come up with an alternate explanation that won’t make him look like such a fool.

“It won’t be the first time.”

Blaine opens his mouth in shock, and Kurt laughs. “Come on, I’m curious now.”

“Fine. The day after our anniversary, you called me a ‘whiny little dipshit.’”

Kurt shrugs. “And you called me a vicious bitch. Must be Tuesday.” Kurt’s nonchalance drops for a moment, and he moves in closer to Blaine. “I didn’t really mean it, you know that, right?”

Blaine nods. “Yeah. But, I don’t know… I thought there might be something to it.”

“So you went on a self-improvement spree, totally changed your demeanor, and forgot to tell me?”

Now it’s Blaine’s turn to hide his face in his hands. “Something like that. I’m so sorry.” He looks up. “In retrospect, maybe it wasn’t the best way to go about things.” Blaine can’t help but smile at the grin that’s spreading across Kurt’s face. “I’ve got a great new part lined up, though – playing the asshole older brother instead of the love sick best friend!”

Kurt barks out a laugh and pulls Blaine into a kiss, one hand behind his neck to hold him tight while the other roams down his back. When they part, Kurt’s eyes are sparkling again, and Blaine relaxes. 

“You’re not mad?”

“No,” Kurt replies. “Although you really could have helped me with dinner.”

“You told me to take a bath,” Blaine responds mildly, standing up and pulling Kurt with him. “Although it’s true that if I had helped cook, we wouldn’t have wound up digging shrimp tails out of the couscous.”

“Ingrate,” Kurt mutters, pressing Blaine against the bedroom door and licking kisses down his neck. 

“Cheeky bastard,” Blaine replies, his hands finding Kurt’s ass and pulling him close. Dinner is quickly forgotten as Blaine pushes Kurt back on to the bed, taking the opportunity to show Kurt just how much he cares.

Later, Kurt is snuggled up against Blaine’s sweaty chest, running his fingers lazily through the smattering of dark hair Blaine no longer bothers to wax. “Don’t change for me, okay?” Kurt says softly.

“I wasn’t trying to change, necessarily,” Blaine says. “I just wanted to be less of a pain in the ass.”

Kurt shoves himself up on an elbow, catching Blaine’s eyes. “But I love your ass,” he says, smiling. “Seriously, though, I love every part of your whiny little self. You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t tell me how you feel. It’s how I know you’re paying attention. That you see me.”

Blaine nods. He gets it, he thinks. “We are good together, aren’t we?”

“We are.”

“Even if we bicker a lot?”

“Even if we bicker a lot.”

Blaine is almost asleep, Kurt’s warm breath on his skin lulling him into dreamland. There’s something bothering him, though, and despite himself, the words slip out. “Kurt?”

“Hmm?”

“How come you didn’t use matching placemats?”


End file.
